Hello, My Name Is

We’ve all been to an event where people don’t really know one another. To make networking easier, you place a sticker on your chest – Hello, my name is

This sticker identifies us only by name. We are left to fill in the blanks with conversation.

How do you fill in the blanks?

I teach my Business Communications and Career Skills students to develop a 15 second commercial introducing themselves. This becomes their personal ID in the business world.

Your personal ID (how you see yourself) determines your success. How you see yourself is exactly how you present yourself to others. It determines who you are.

The Law of Attraction will either connect you with or repel opportunity based on your personal ID.

It is important to develop a positive personal ID that will attract success.

Issuing authority

Proof of ID

Your ID card

THE ISSUING AUTHORITY

When you apply for a driver’s license, Social Security Card or other form of identification, the name of the issuing authority always appears on the card.

The issuing authority is a trusted 3rd party that has verified the documentation presented and declares it to be valid. Your ID card; therefore becomes proof that you are who you claim you are. The issuing party provides that proof.

The issuing authority also grants or denies privileges based on the information contained in the card. Other parties may also grant or deny privileges based on the ID. Your state may issue a driver’s license to a 16 year old, but only those over 21 can consume alcohol. A bar will use the information contained on a driver’s license to determine whether or not to give a person access to their establishment.

My driver’s license restricts me to wearing corrective lenses when I drive. I have been granted the privilege of driving a car but not a truck, motorcycle or commercial bus. The issuing authority in my state determined my privileges and restrictions based on the information given to them.

So, who is the issuing authority of your personal ID?

You are.

You are the authority on you. Your identity is limited by your own interpretation of your experience.

You become the labels that you give to yourself and stamp them on your personal ID. These labels will determine your access to opportunities.

If you label yourself as a victim, you will allow external circumstances to govern your actions. If you label yourself as capable, you will act accordingly. Your actions will determine your success.

You have the right to issue your own ID card, label it in a way that will grant you opportunities.

PROOF OF ID

Before an agency will issue a driver’s license, they require proof of ID (usually a birth certificate, Marriage License, Baptismal record, license issued by another state, etc.) This proof is evidence of your name and date of birth. Without proof from a reputable source, the state will not issue an ID. Your cousin who lives down the street is not considered a reputable source and therefore will be rejected as proof of your ID.

What evidence do you accept or reject as reputable sources to verify your personal ID?

Past behavior

Do you identify yourself according to your past or present behavior? Do you say that you are clumsy, stupid, unemployed, broke?

By doing so, you lock your future into the past. You act according to how you always acted. You leave no room for change.

To be truly successful, you must change your ID to where you are now and where you want to go.

Where you are now

I got my first driver’s license when I was 16 years old. That was quite a long time ago (no, I’m not going to share how long ago.)

When I got that license, they took my photograph. Can you imagine as a grandmother, me still attempting to use that same photo as ID? I’ve changed a little since then.

That is why states require periodic renewal of a driver’s license and the identifying photograph that accompanies it.

Are you still using your personal ID from high school? Do you still tell people that you are the loser, the class clown, the nerdy kid who couldn’t get a prom date?

Isn’t it time to renew your ID and get a better picture of yourself?

YOUR ID CARD

Your driver’s license contains information at a glance.

From it anyone can quickly determine your name, date of birth, whether or not you need corrective lenses, and in most states whether or not you are an organ donor.

Your driver’s license also lists restrictions on your driving privileges (for instance you may not be licensed to drive a motorcycle, or a truck, but you are licensed to drive a car.)

Your personal ID also quickly identifies you at a glance. It displays what you decided to identify with.

What restrictions are you placing on you future with your personal ID?

Actions

We identify people by their actions.

We identify ourselves by our actions as well. We determine who we are by judging what we do.

What we do determines who we are.

Friends

Many teens find out the hard way that even if they are not drinking, doing drugs or involved in gangs, the police will arrest them for just being around these activities.

Who you spend your time with is linked to your identification. We are known by the company we keep.

Spend your time with other positive people who are pursuing their goals and dreams. They will help you to grow in the right direction.

Talents

When I moved from PA to CO in 2005, I changed not only my driver’s license but my career focus. After over 20 years in IT and technology I decided that it was time for a change and pursued a business degree. I have been teaching business ever since.

A few weeks ago one of the projectors in my classroom was malfunctioning. One of my students innocently asked if I was technologically challenged. I chuckled knowing that I had successfully changed my ID.

In PA, I was known as the computer nerd, the computer geek and sometimes the computer whiz. I can program a computer, design and build a network yet in a few short years, I was identified as technically challenged because I chose to keep my talents hidden.

I did this for a good reason (I was tired of telephone calls from relatives who screwed up their Internet connections and expected ME to get out of bed at 2:00 AM to fix it for FREE) but unless you have a reason not to, showcase your talents.

Use your talents and make them known to others. Build your identity as the “guy who can fix anything” or the “interior design wizard” or the “mathematical genius.” In this way, you will attract opportunities to grow.

What kind of things will you include in your 15 second personal ID?

RELATED ARTICLES

I love to share interesting posts I’ve stumbled upon with my readers. If you know of a great positive blog that I can link to, please let me know on Facebook.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONTEST

We have a little more than a week left in the Black History Month Contest. I am sharing the 21 African-Americans who influenced me the most. If you are the first person to guess who my #1 influence is, you will win a $47 Purpose Driven Woman Boot Camp courtesy of fellow blogger Taquila Coleman.

About living4bliss

Mental Health Food is the place to stop to get your bliss on everyday. I give tips, hints and sometimes a little silliness to help you navigate the challenges of life.
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Mental Health Food is a product of Believing Life Is Setup for Success, Inc. (B.L.I.S.S.) in Thornton, CO. We have been in the business of teaching success since 1991.
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